Need to Know

Keep an eye out for the singletrack that leaves the rail bed and goes up hills or down ravines. You won't ride along the actual rails very much if you stick to the old dirt bike trails.

Description

At 32 miles, this is a great, point-to-point, net loss of elevation ride. It is REAL mountain biking! With very little climbing, it's also a really good singlespeed trail.

If you're starting at the "top" (Forni Rd., right by the jail), the few miles to the Weber Creek Bridge is a paved, Class I bike path, but there is some fun singletrack on the left side if you keep your eyes peeled.

Once you cross the Weber Creek Bridge, there's another mile of paved Class I bike path to Missouri Flat Rd (no singletrack). Once you cross here, you'll be on dirt all the way to Folsom.

The only "boring" portion is the last 3-4 miles, a little West of Latrobe Rd. to In N Out Burger in Folsom (off E. Bidwell). Once you cross the cool Deer Creek Bridge, the trail gets a little less interesting and the final couple miles are best done on the paved road on the West side of the train tracks.

While this trail as mapped shows the length of the El Dorado Trail from Forni Rd. to Folsom, many people like to park on Motherload Drive in Shingle Springs and ride up the tracks, then turn around and come back, which is also fun. Sam's Town Cyclery also operates a full service bike shop in the Shingle Springs Depot building also providing MTB, Fat Tire and kids bike rentals. The El Dorado Western Railroad Foundation and Sam's Town Cyclery also will have shuttle service rail rides from Shingle Springs to El Dorado and you can ride you bike back down the track.

For those that grow tired of riding trails in the Folsom Lake area, the El Dorado Trail is really good option for you!

History & Background

See eldoradotrail.com/ for more info about this historic rail corridor. The long term plan is to remove all the rails and put in a Class I bike path that connects to the American River Bike Trail.

Setting up group ride Saturday, April 9th, 2016 starting in Placerville (7AM Start) and finish in Folsom. Meeting at Team Cycle in Cameron Park at 6:30 and drive to Placerville. 3 others can ride with me in my truck. I have driver to drop off us in Placerville and pick up in Folsom. You will need to arrange your shuttle unless you group with me. Early departure leaves the full day for your other weekend stuff and a nice cool ride. **This is my first ride on full length of this trail but moving through it quickly. I'm using Strava and you can join my group on FB El Dorado County Mountain Biking.
Apr 5, 2016